Tag: 2020 season countdown

2020 Season Countdown: #24 Will Hart

Name: Will Hart
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 206 lbs.
High school: Hunting Valley (OH) University School
Position: Punter
Class: Redshirt senior
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I ranked Hart #24 and said he would be the starting punter (LINK). He punted 51 times for 2,256 yards (44.2 yards/punt), 7 touchbacks, 13 fair catches, and 11 inside the 20-yard line.
TTB Rating: N/A

Hart was a superstar punter in 2018 and borderline All-American after averaging 47 yards per punt. His numbers dipped a little bit in 2019, but he was still very good. His punting average of 44.2 yards per attempt was slightly behind conference leader Blake Hayes (Illinois) and his 44.6-yard average. It’s not that he lost leg power, but his technique and timing seemed to be a little off, and he shanked a couple punts throughout the year.

For the second year in a row, Hart comes in at #24 in the countdown. He has a decent backup in Brad Robbins (42.8 yards/attempt in 2019), but Hart has a stronger leg and can be a weapon at times. Hopefully he returns to his 2018 form and can work out some of the kinks he experienced last season.

Prediction: Starting punter

2020 Season Countdown: #25 Chuck Filiaga

Name: Chuck Filiaga
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 345 lbs.
High school: Aledo (TX) Aledo
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #66
Last year: I ranked Filiaga #67 and said he would be a backup offensive guard (LINK). He played in twelve games, four at offensive guard and twelve on special teams.
TTB Rating: 86

Filiaga has always had questions swirling around him about whether he could manage his weight effectively. He was listed at 341 pounds last year, and perhaps it’s a coincidence, but he did not play much. The four games in which he played offensive line were either blowout wins or blowout losses. There were four senior starters ahead of him and a redshirt freshman tackle who recently declared for the NFL draft, so talent was abundant. But Filiaga also wasn’t even one of the top couple guys off the bench, which were Ryan Hayes and the loser of the Jalen Mayfield/Andrew Stueber starting tackle battle (that Mayfield won if only by default when Stueber got injured).

I have Filiaga here at #25 as the lowest ranked lineman who is projected to be a starter. He could probably be ranked higher if not for the fact that Mayfield, now NFL-bound, is ahead of him. I have questions about Filiaga’s endurance and mobility, especially since he’s now listed four pounds heavier at 345 than he was last year. I was hoping he would drop some weight and get into the 330 range. Based on last year, I was not impressed with his ability to bend and use leverage to his advantage.

Prediction: Starting left guard

2020 Season Countdown: #26 Mike Sainristil

Name: Mike Sainristil
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 183 lbs.
High school: Everett (MA) Everett
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #19
Last year: I ranked Sainristil #20 and said he would be a starting receiver with 30 catches for 480 yards and 5 touchdowns (LINK). He caught 8 passes for 145 yards and 1 touchdown while starting one game.
TTB Rating: 84

Sainristil, like Donovan Jeter, was significantly overrated by me last year. Spring chatter was positive, and Jim Harbaugh actually named him the starting slot receiver after the spring. I thought that would carry over into the fall, but that turned out not to be the case. He played quite a bit but was not targeted regularly. Tarik Black played more than Sainristil (side opinion: Black was a slacker and should have played less), got his 25 catches, and then dipped out of town, anyway. Sainristil’s catch and run against Notre Dame was more impressive than anything Black did in 2019, though it did come late in a blowout win over Notre Dame:

Sainristil figures to be heavily involved in 2020, but exactly how much is still up in the air. Fellow slot guy Giles Jackson seems to be more explosive, and the coaches seem to have slightly higher hopes for Jackson. The opportunities for Sainristil may increase if Nico Collins does indeed skip his senior season as expected, but for this exercise, I’m projecting Sainristil to be a backup behind Collins, Jackson, and Ronnie Bell.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver

2020 Season Countdown: #27 Cornelius Johnson

Name: Cornelius Johnson
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 205 lbs.
High school: Greenwich (CT) Brunswick
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #6
Last year: I did not rank Johnson. He caught 4 passes for 61 yards and 1 touchdown.
TTB Rating: 87

Usually, it seems like astute readers point out when I miss someone on the countdown, but I guess we didn’t catch Johnson’s absence. I remember thinking he would play a bit role behind Nico Collins, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black, and Ronnie Bell, and his production satisfied that belief. He played in every game despite not factoring heavily into Shea Patterson’s targets.

But there was a really nice play against Michigan State where Johnson pretended to block and then disappeared behind the MSU for a defense late in the blowout win:

Even with Nico Collins likely headed to the NFL without playing his senior season, Peoples-Jones playing for the Browns, and Black transferring to Texas, Johnson still appears to be in a fight for playing time. There’s no doubt he will get on the field regularly and increase his production from last year, but freshman Roman Wilson was reportedly looking good in practice, and there are several slot types that need to get on the field, including Ronnie Bell, Giles Jackson, and Mike Sainristil.

If Collins is indeed gone, Johnson is the biggest receiver on the team at 6’3″ and 205 pounds and will probably end up starting. If Collins remains through a possible spring season, I could see Johnson playing a backup role for one more season.

Prediction: Starting wide receiver*

*This presumes Collins being gone by the next time Michigan plays football

2020 Season Countdown: #28 Mazi Smith

Name: Mazi Smith
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 305 lbs.
High school: Kentwood (MI) East Kentwood
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #58
Last year: I ranked Smith #46 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He played in two games and redshirted.
TTB Rating: 86

Last year I overvalued defensive tackles, as evidenced by placing Donovan Jeter just behind Shea Patterson (LINK). That also came into play with Smith, whom I ranked #46 even though he ended up redshirting. I was not confident in the other defensive tackles, including starters Michael Dwumfour and Carlo Kemp, and I thought they would get complemented by heavier doses of Smith and Chris Hinton. Though Dwumfour was spotty, it was actually three-man lines and Jess Speight that stepped up the most.

According to off-season reports, Smith is in much better shape this year. He took plays off in high school, but going into his second year of college, he should be more ready to play with good technique consistently. That should be good news for a defensive interior that lacks size and depth. Michigan needs some 300-pounders to step up this year. I would expect Smith to play a backup role behind Kemp.

Prediction: Backup defensive tackle